May 13, 2021
New research from Microsoft Surface claims that 64 percent of Brits agree that seeking greater balance in their lives has become even more vital through the pandemic and 63 percent are in favour of a three-day weekend to help them achieve a greater work life balance. (more…)
May 12, 2021
New research by Rouge Media, highlights where in the UK has the most lapsed or internet non-users, following Ofcom’s announcement that the digital divide has been narrowed by pandemic, but around 1.5m homes remain without internet access. (more…)
May 6, 2021
Central to any business is the need to communicate effectively. Whether you’re relocating to new or refurbished premises, or switching providers, it is vital to ensure your communications networks are up to the job in terms of performance and reliability. Not only is this required to support conventional telecoms and OTT services, it is key to smart building and smart infrastructure applications. Connectivity should not be limited to Wi-Fi either. Businesses are increasingly pushing mobile-only strategies and landlines are fast becoming obsolete in the workplace. PwC, for example, removed all landlines from their offices back in 2018 and many other organisations have since followed suit, with smartphones providing a single point of contact for all voice and internet connectivity, as well as being used as resilient IT infrastructure. (more…)
May 5, 2021
The angular, tapered legs of ‘Zig’ tables are reminiscent of a Lynn Chadwick sculpture. Their folded steel form creates a striking silhouette at both standard and poseur heights. Almost retro-futuristic in style, these tables can enhance a variety of settings such as cafes, meeting rooms and collaboration zones. (more…)
April 27, 2021
“Hi Dougie – how’s the new hybrid workplace going?”
“Morning Clara. You mean the Team-Rostered Attendance Programme. It’s fantastic – we have control at last!”
“Wow, I’m jealous. I guess you all just fell into it?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Just a hunch. So how does it work?” (more…)
April 26, 2021
Earlier this month the ONS (Office for National Statistics) released a rather dismal map of the UK charting our population’s soaring levels of loneliness. Perhaps surprisingly, it is young people and those living in urban areas reporting the highest levels of aloneness. It really does go to show that the ‘social’ in social media doesn’t mean very much, and that you can indeed be surrounded by others and still feel lonely. So what does this new study mean for employers, if anything? (more…)
April 20, 2021
As April is Stress Awareness Month, Instant Offices researched how the last year has affected employees mental health also what business and individual employees can do to improve and support mental wellbeing. (more…)
April 20, 2021
FUTURE Designs, a UK based designer and manufacturer of luminaires and lighting solutions, obtains the first IMMUNE Building Standard certification in the world for an Industrial Building, awarded by Healthy by Design Building Institute (HDBI). The factory and headquarters achieved the label ‘IMMUNE – Strong’ following the company’s successful implementation of the health and safety set of measures for its employees. (more…)
April 8, 2021
Lockdown has meant the majority of UK office-based employees have taken up working from home arrangements over the last year, and it seems that many employers lack trust in their employees when they can’t physically see them. Last year saw a rise in the implementation of surveillance software, to ensure that workers are acting in best corporate interests. However, this is having a negative impact on some employees – who are feeling forced to work longer hours due to a new perceived need to remain visible to their manager or team leader, revealed in a survey by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. With remote working set to stay post-COVID, these findings indicate a worrying growing trend around broken working from home employee trust. (more…)
March 24, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the home office furniture market in 2020, according to a new report, by AMA Research. Despite a move to homeworking, demand for home office furniture is expected to have declined by 8 percent in 2020; however this can be contrasted with the 17 percent fall in the total office furniture market. (more…)
While working from home has surged in recent months, the use of flexible working hours – such as part-time, flexi-time and compressed hours – has fallen over the course of the Coronavirus pandemic, according to new
May 11, 2021
Organisations are finally getting their heads around what the office is really good at
by Gill Parker • Comment, Workplace design